BELT TYPE WOVEN MATERIAL PROCESSING APPARATUS

Abstract: This invention provides a processing apparatus capable of manufacturing a high-quality belt type woven material owing to the attainment of an improved operation efficiency and uniform processing conditions. While a belt type woven material (2) is passed spirally through one processing region (3) so as to be subjected to a predetermined process, a plurality of metal-surfaced rollers (5) at least the surface portions of which are formed out of a metal are used as at least some of guide rollers (5) (5-2 ~ 5-4) for the belt type woven material (2) which are provided in at least one of an introduction region for the belt type woven material (2) with respect to the processing region (3) and a discharge region (4) for the belt type woven material transferred thereto from the processing region. These metal rollers (5-2 ~ 5-4) are arranged in a mutually non-contacting state, and each metal roller is driven positively via a suitable driving means (6) in this belt type woven material processing apparatus (1).

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of cloth strips, more specifically to an apparatus used in a process for carrying out the dyeing, heat treatment, scouring, finishing or the like of a narrow cloth strip such as a seat belt material. BACKGROUND ART In the prior art, when a narrow cloth strip to be used as a safety belt, a seat belt or a sling is subjected to a treatment such as dyeing, heat treatment, scouring or finishing, a plurality of cloth strips run continuously in a side-by-side manner, i.e., in parallel with, through a series of processes, which normally start the supply of greige fabric and include scouring, dyeing, rinsing, drying, heat-setting and the application of a surface agent. The above technique for treating cloth strips has various problems as follows: (1) If the running speed of cloth strips arranged in parallel to each other is increased to reduce the treatment time in the respective process, it is necessary to lengthen the running section, which naturally results in an increase in the respective unit size. Such an increase in the unit size causes an uneven temperature distribution in the unit. Particularly, when such temperature difference occurs in the dyeing process, a difference in hue or color density appears in the respective cloth strips running in parallel. (2) When the cloth strips run parallel to each other, there is a problem of lack of running stability wherein some of the cloth strips may be in a slack state or meander due to a tension variation. If the unit size is enlarged, this tendency would be increased. (3) Recently there has been a remarkable trend toward smaller lots of diverse sorts and/or multicolor products. Using the conventional parallel running system, the working efficiency is low because it requires time for each exchange of the dye solution, each alteration of the webbing tension and each change of a process condition such as temperature or speed. To solve the above problems, the present inventors proposed a treatment method as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 1-34845 "Apparatus for Shifting Running Position of Narrow Width Fabric" wherein a single cloth strip runs along a spiral path in a predetermined treatment zone. According to this proposal, it is possible to keep a longer length of cloth strip in the predetermined treatment zone, whereby it is possible to shorten the treatment time and remarkably increase the running speed. Thus, the productivity has been improved compared with the conventional parallel running system. In addition, differences in hue, color density, elongation or others have been reduced to stabilize the product quality. However, it has been found that there is a problem remaining still unsolved: In the following, a problem relating to a rubber roller used in the treatment of this type will be discussed. In the prior art, a nip roller device or mangle wherein the surface of roller is formed of rubber is used in an introduction/withdrawal roller device, for introducing/withdrawing a cloth strip, provided at the entrance and exit zones of a unit used for carrying out a thermal treatment, on a narrow cloth strip having a, such as scouring, dyeing, resin treating or heat-setting. The cloth strip is nipped between a plurality of rollers brought into contact with each other, and introduced into or discharged from the respective unit driven by these rollers. In the prior art, most of the rubber rollers used for such treatments are made of known rubber materials, such as natural rubber, SBR, NBR, CR (chloroprene rubber), IIR (butylic rubber), FPM, urethane rubber or silicone rubber. Since such rubber rollers are usually disposed near to the entrance and exit zones for the main thermal treatment zone, they are directly influenced by the high temperature in the treatment zone and if the rubber rollers have a low resistance to heat, they are damaged by heat in a short period. Further, the temperature rise of the rubber roller provided in the exit part of the thermal treatment zone is considerable because the heat-treated cloth strip is withdrawn while being pressingly nipped by the roller surfaces, whereby the deterioration of the rubber is accelerated. Particularly, in the above system wherein the cloth strip runs along a spiral path, the cloth strip passes over one portion of the introduction/withdrawal roller provided in the thermal treatment zone at a high speed. In a thermosol setter, for example, for carrying out the color development and heat-set, the surface temperature of a cloth strip at a position immediately after the thermal treatment zone is about 180 °C which means that the surface temperature of the withdrawing roller portion supporting the cloth strip also rises to about 180 °C. Since the running speed is about 72 m/min, the rubber roller rapidly wears and becomes unusable within a few hours if a conventional rubber roller is used. Accordingly, it is necessary to frequently replace the rubber roller with new one in the prior art, which results in the complicated replacing operation and an increase in the production cost. If the thermal treatment is a dyeing or color development process, the rubber roller tends to be contaminated with dyestuff which rubs off onto the dyed product to cause a color change or contamination thereof. To solve such a problem, it is necessary, when a plurality of cloth strips are dyed, that the dyeing order is determined so that a lighter color dye precedes a darker color dye. Also the rubber rollers must be frequently rinsed and, if the contamination of rubber rollers cannot be removed by rinsing, it is necessary to replace the rubber rollers after a period of two or three months, which results in reducing the working efficiency and increasing the production cost. As stated above, the problem to be solved by the present invention, the contamination and lack of durability of rubber rollers, and the contamination and lack of durability of introduction and withdrawal rollers in the spiral running system, remain unsolved in the conventional spiral running system. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to solve the above drawbacks in the prior art and provide a thermal treatment apparatus capable of preventing the lowering of working efficiency caused by the replacement of introduction/withdrawal rollers provided in the entrance and exit zones of the respective thermal treatment process zones due to wear or thermal deterioration of rollers, or by the rinsing thereof due to contamination. To achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution: An apparatus for treating a single cloth strips wherein said cloth strips are subjected to treatment under predetermined tension while running in paths through a treatment zone at a predetermined speed, the apparatus having introduction roller devices and withdrawal roller devices, characterized in that at least one of said introduction roller devices and withdrawal roller devices being provided between a pair of guide rollers in at least either one of entrance area or an exit area of said cloth strips treatment zone and used for conveying said cloth strips, the rotational axis of any one of said rollers of said introduction roller devices or withdrawal roller devices being in parallel to the rotational axes of said pair of guide rollers, and wherein at least part of said rollers of said introduction roller devices or withdrawal roller devices, being metallic surface rollers, which are parallely and adjacently arranged to each other but not being contacted to each other, further wherein said respective metallic surface roller being positively driven to rotate by means of a suitable drive means, and said apparatus being further characterized in that between one of said guide rollers and said introduction roller devices or withdrawal roller devices at least one pair of shifting rollers having the rotational axes being perpendicular to those of said metallic surfacerollers for traversing the travelling a current path of said cloth strips on the surface of said metallic surfaceroller, to a next path thereof adjacently and parallely arranged to aforementioned path thereof by twisting said cloth strips at 90 degrees at an entrance region and an exit region of said pair of shifting rollers, so that said cloth strip travels over the surfaces of the same metallic surface rollers several times in a spiral configuration. Since the apparatus for treating a cloth strip according to the present invention has the abovesaid constitution, the wear and deterioration of the introduction/withdrawal rollers at the entrance and exit zones of the thermal treatment zone due to high tension and high temperature are completely avoided. In addition, since there is no problem in the application of tension necessary for the treatment of the cloth strip, the drawbacks in the prior art can be solved and the remarkable effects due to the spiral running, such as an improvement in working efficiency, an acceleration of the treating rate or the equalization of treatment conditions in the treatment zone are obtainable. Thus an improvement in the quality of cloth strip is achievable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: Figs. 1(A) and 1(B) illustrate an embodiment of a withdrawing part of an apparatus for treating cloth strips according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a side view of the conventional apparatus for treating cloth strips. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention: Various aspects of the apparatus for treating cloth strips according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1(A) and 1(B) illustrate side and front views, respectively, of one embodiment of an apparatus 1 for treating cloth strips according to the present invention, wherein an exit part 4 is shown for withdrawing the cloth strip 2 running through a main treatment zone 3 along a spiral path while being subjected to a predetermined treatment. In Figs. 1(A) and 1(B), a group of rollers 5 (5-1 through 5-4) consists of metallic surface rollers, at least the surfaces of which are formed of metal, and are arranged in a non-contacted state with each other. These metallic surface rollers are positively driven to rotate by a suitable drive means 6. While there is no detailed illustration in Figs. 1(A) and 1(B), the main treatment zone 3 is provided on the right side of a frame 18 as shown in Fig. 1(A). When the cloth strip 2 subjected to the predetermined treatment in the main treatment zone 3 emerges therefrom, it is introduced into the exit part 4 via a downward guide roller 12 while being deflected downward and via a downward guide roller 13 reaches an upward guide roller 16, at which it reverses the running direction upward and reaches the group of metallic surface rollers 5 (5-1 through 5-4). Then the cloth strip 2 is twisted at 90° via a pair of shifting rollers 14-1 and 14-2 and reaches again the downward guide roller 13 while being shifted at a predetermined distance in the axial direction of the downward guide roller 13. From the downward guide roller 13, the cloth strip 2 reverses the running direction downward to the upward guide roller 16 and returns to the downward guide roller 13 while shifting the running position thereon via the pair of shifting rollers 14-1, 14-2. Since five pairs of shifting rollers 14-1, 14-2 are provided in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1(B), the cloth strip runs while shifting the running position five times. Detector of the above system wherein a cloth strip is repeatedly subjected to a predetermined treatment in a so-called "spiral running system", details of which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 64-34845. At the final stage of conveyance of cloth strip according to the above spiral running system, the cloth strip 2 is withdrawn, away from the final metallic surface roller 5-1, from the exit part 4 of the main treatment zone 3 into the next process via suitable guide rollers 15, 10, a dancer roller 8 for detecting a tension of the cloth strip 2 and a guide roller 11. The metallic surface rollers 5-1 through 5-4 are respectively driven by a suitable drive means 6 at a predetermined speed. In this regard, rotary shafts of the respective metallic surface rollers are coupled to each other to be rotatable at the same speed by suitable transmission means 17 such as chain, gear or belt. In Fig. 1(A), reference numeral 9 denotes a pressure-adjustable tension detector such as a hydraulic cylinder for regulating the swing motion of dancer roller 8. Fig. 2 illustrates nip rollers consisting of the conventional exit part 4 of the treatment zone 3 wherein a cloth strip 2 withdrawn from a guide roller 20 is guided to a nip roller part consisting of a guide roller 23 and a pair of rubber rollers 24 through a tensioning mechanism consisting of a group of stationary rollers 21 and a group of dancer rollers 22, and after passing through the rubber (nip) rollers 24, introduced into a predetermined treatment zone 3 via another guide roller 25. As described above, the pair of nip rollers 24, 24' in the conventional treatment apparatus have surfaces formed of rubber while being in close contact with each other under the predetermined pressure so that the cloth strip to be treated is conveyed while being nipped between the nip rollers 24, 24'. There are such problems in the above conventional treatment apparatus as described in connection with the prior art. The present invention is constituted to basically have a structure described with reference to Fig. 1 to solve those problems. More specifically, in the treatment zone 3, any one of dye application, color development, thermal treatment or the like is carried out. Particularly, the apparatus according to the present invention is effectively used as a thermosol setter for carrying out the dry heat treatment under a high temperature. According to the present invention, while the metallic surface rollers 5 must be arranged in a non-contacted state with each other, the distance therebetween may be optionally selected without limitation. Also the number of metallic surface rollers may be optionally selected so that no slip occurs during the conveyance of cloth strip 2 while taking the cloth composition and the facial state of the metallic surface rollers 5 into account. It is preferable that the metallic surface roller 5 is totally made of metal but may be partially made of metal so that the cloth strip 2 is in contact with that metallic part. At least the surface of metallic surface roller 5 is preferably coated with a hard chromium plating as smooth as possible, favorably in a mirror surface state. Since the present invention has such a constitution, during the conveyance of cloth strip along the rollers, the cloth strip is in contact with the metallic surface rollers 5 at a number of points and surfaces, whereby the slip does not occur on the metallic surface rollers 5 even though the surface thereof is in a mirror surface state. The surface of metallic surface roller 5 is less contaminated compared to the conventional roller, and, even contaminated, it is possible to easily clean the same. Also it is possible to semipermanently use these metallic surface rollers because the surfaces thereof have a superior resistance to wear and heat. Since the metallic surface rollers are maintained in a non-contacted state with each other in the present invention, the cloth strip 2 can pass through a gap between the adjacent metallic surface rollers even though the cloth strip 2 is sewn to another cloth strip. Since the surface of the metallic surface roller 5 is smooth and the roller can contact with the cloth strip with a contact other than point contact, it is possible to conform to a slight elongation or contraction of cloth strip 2 between the adjacent rollers, whereby the cloth strip is not locally compressed, resulting in the improvement of product quality. Also the metallic surface rollers can bear a heavy load. That is, in the conventional treatment apparatus of a parallel running type, NBR (copolymer of acrylonitrile/butadiene) having a hardness in a range of 80 through 90 is used as a surface material for the pair of conveying rollers, each having a diameter of 220 mm and to the two rollers usually a pneumatic pressure of 4 kg and a load of 150 kg are loaded. In the rubber rollers used with such large contact pressures, the surface thereof is liable to be locally deformed when generating an extraordinary force. Contrary to this, since there is no such a deformation in the metallic surface roller, there is no adverse influence on the quality and physical property of the resultant product. The metallic surface roller 5 in the treatment apparatus according to the present invention preferably has a cooling means in the interior thereof for cooling the roller surface. This is because, when a cloth strip 2 is treated under a high temperature, for example, in a thermosol setter, it is possible to cool the resultant cloth strip heated to high temperature via the metallic surface rollers without additional means for cooling the cloth strip 2, as is the conventional case. While the apparatus for treating a cloth strip according to the present invention described above is particularly effective for the spiral running system, it is also possible to apply this basic technical idea to the parallel running system. In the latter case, it is desirable to increase the frictional force between the cloth strip and the metallic surface rollers by providing press rollers for partially pressing the cloth strips 2 onto the metallic surface rollers in the entrance and exit parts for the respective treatment zone 3 or by providing nip rollers for applying a preliminary tension to the cloth strip directly before the metallic roller. According to the present invention, since the resistance to wear and heat of rollers is semipermanently maintained at a high level by the use of metallic surface rollers, the spiral running system can be successfully put into practice. Thus it is possible to completely solve the problems of the prior art and provide a small-sized apparatus for treating cloth strips at a high rate, from which a high grade product with uniform qualities is effectively obtainable at a lower cost. Further according to the present invention, almost all cloth strips including both lower and higher elongation strips can be treated without any limitations. In addition, according to the present invention, for example, a seat belt webbing of a high elongation type having an elongation of more than 17% and reaching 22% under a load of 11081 N (1130 kgf), can be treated.

Claims: An apparatus (1) for treating a single cloth strips (2) wherein said cloth strips (2) are subjected to treatment under predetermined tension while running in paths through a treatment zone (3) at a predetermined speed, the apparatus (1) having introduction roller devices and withdrawal roller devices, characterized in that at least one of said introduction roller devices and withdrawal roller devices being provided between a pair of guide rollers (13, 16) in at least either one of entrance area or an exit area of said cloth strips treatment zone (3) and used for conveying said cloth strips (2), the rotational axis of any one of said rollers of said introduction roller devices or withdrawal roller devices being in parallel to the rotational axis of said pair of guide rollers (13, 16), and wherein at least part of said rollers of said introduction roller devices or withdrawal roller devices, being metallic surface rollers (5), which are parallely and adjacently arranged to each other but not being contacted to each other, further wherein said respective metallic surface roller (5) being positively driven to rotate by means of a suitable drive means (6), and said apparatus being further characterized in that between one of said guide rollers (13, 16) and said introduction roller devices or withdrawal roller devices at least one pair of shifting rollers (14-1/14-2) having the rotational axes being perpendicular to those of said metallic surface rollers (5) for traversing the travelling a current path of said cloth strips (2) on the surface of said metallic surface rollers (5), to a next path thereof adjacently and parallely arranged to aforementioned path thereof by twisting said cloth strips (2) at 90 degrees at an entrance region and an exit region of said pair of shifting rollers (14-1/14-2), so that said cloth strip (2) travels over the surfaces of the same metallic surface rollers (5) several times in a spiral configuration. An apparatus for treating a cloth strip or strips as defined by claim 1, characterized in that the metallic surface roller has in the interior thereof means for cooling the surface thereof.

Inventors: KIKUCHI KOICHI, TUKAMOTO TADASHI, KIKUCHI, KOICHI, TUKAMOTO, TADASHI
Applicants: KIKUCHI KOGYO, KIKUCHI KOGYO CO., LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65H23
IPC codes: D06B23, B65H20, B65H23, D06B19, B65H27